How far do rabbits range?

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dormitionskete

dormitionskete

Member
Feb 8, 2019
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Colorado, United States
Does anybody know how far rabbits range?

We live on the top of a mountain. We always have rabbits down by the gate where our driveway meets the county road because there's a creek there and a lot of brush. It's about 2/10ths of a mile straight line distance, and about 180' drop.

We try to keep the rabbits away from us and our gardens. Do I need to be killing those down by the gate, or are they far enough away that they wouldn't likely come up here?
 
Thanks. So, I take it I should be engaging them?

I saw a juvenile rabbit just inside our perimeter last night. It got away; but when I went down to the gate this morning, I saw a full grown rabbit and three juveniles down there about the same size as the one I saw last night.

I don't like killing rabbits because they're peaceful creatures and our cat won't eat them; but if it's likely they're the same ones, I'll kill them where I can get them.

I wish they would shoot back. I could use the excitement...
 
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One other alternative in Colorado is trapping and relocation:

3.) WHICH WILDLIFE SPECIES CAN I RELOCATE WITHOUT A PERMIT? WCR 17122(B) Tree squirrels, cottontail rabbits and raccoons can be relocated without a permit, provided that: • CPW has been notified in advance. • The relocation site is appropriate habitat for the species. • Permission has been obtained from the landowner or managing agency where the animal will be released. • The relocation must occur within 10 miles of the capture site for squirrels and rabbits and within 2 miles for raccoons.
 
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So my thoughts are if the parents are living down by your gate. They may live their whole life there. But their offspring will have to relocate to somewhere else. Those will be the ones you’ll see in your yard. 

I do enjoy seeing cotton tails in my yard. And have had no problems with them getting into my “garden” (and I use that term loosely). My suggestion is just keep the air rifle handy. And when you see one in an area you don’t want them. Do what needs to be done.


 
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I can't definitively answer your question, but if you want to discourage rabbits from eating your crops the more open space they need to cross to get to the crop the less likely they are to forage there. If you can clear the brush so there's no cover around the garden that will help, though tasty delicacies like carrots and lettuce will always be at risk. Guard duty in a comfortable chair with a set of sticks to rest the rifle will likely be in your future. The bunnies seem to know where they shouldn't be and get skittish in the crops so move slowly as you draw a bead on them. There are more rabbits around this year on my place than I ever remember from years past. I did clear some brush to protect some Pepper transplants but they're mostly behaving themselves so far.

I enjoy rabbits both as wildlife and tasty legal game during the hunting season. They are quite tasty especially when slow cooked in a crock pot. 

1561754534_16486672185d167ba6466596.10282273_DSCN0105 - Copy.JPG



 
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Personally, I don't mind the rabbits; but if I don't kill them, my boss will, and I don't like how he goes about it.

Plus, one of the selling points I used to get him to buy me this new air rifle is that, "If you buy me this new airgun, I'll take care of the rabbits for you."

Relocation sounds like an interesting concept, but I can't see us going through that much trouble. Too much bureaucracy, if nothing else.

Fortunately, our "gardens" are not that luscious.

Thanks, guys.
 
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I think I've found the answer to my question. I think a rabbit's range is only as far as our cat's. I think those rabbits down by the gate have been coming up here, and she's been promptly inviting them to dinner.

I was wondering why I haven't seen any rabbits either up here or even down at the gate since @Bitey very kindly offered to take any we catch.

A few days after that, our cat, Killer #3, got one of the little guys up here that was the same size as the ones at the gate. She ate most of it, but left us enough to compare it to them.

Then today, I was working in an out of the way area between some of our buildings where nobody ever goes, and I discovered the remains of a freshly killed rabbit very much the same size -- again, mostly eaten. And she had quite a bit of other carnage in that area, too.

Good cat! We've named all of our cats through the years "Killer", and they've been expected to live up to their name. Killer #1 and #2 lasted around 12 years each. An owl or some other bird of prey tore up Killer #2 pretty badly. I tried to nurse her back to health, but she didn't make it. Then we went through nine cats in two years! We've had our current Killer a little over a year.

Killer #2 was an improved version of Killer #1; and if Killer #3 has been taking her meals to where we don't have to deal with them, rather than leaving them on the pavement for us to clean up, she's an even more improved version of Killer #2.


1562467954_9996922085d215e72830db3.50742692_Killer3.jpg

 
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